Fly-swatting device



Selml 18,1923. 11,468,373 G. W. BLAKE Y A FLY swATTING DEVICE Filed Feb. 24 1919 PatentedV Sept. 1S, '1923.

j nutren errer aar enorte-nwjsriannor wy-anno'rrn, rammenta, assrenon To THE GEORGE w. BLAKE MANUFACTURING OOMPANY, OF V'referirG eiu'. Y

ivrannorrn, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or rLYswA'TTING :envien i Applicatin ined February 24, i919. serial No. 273,645.

' To @ZZ whom t may concern: Y

Be it known that I, GEORGE l/V. BLAKE, a citizen of the United VStates of America, residing at; Wyandotte, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan,have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in YFlySwatting Devices, of which the follow- Y ing is a specifica-tion, reference being had therein .to the accompanying drawings.

This invention aims to provide ally swatting j device constructed somewhat on the principle of aV toy .which will afford consid'- erable amusement to juvenilesrand at the V.same time contribute to the extermination of flies and similar insects. rlhe device is made to representa fire `arm having a projectile provided with a swatting or imprisoning member whichis articulated relative to the projecting part of the 1 device sothat said swa'tting member may more or -less accommodate itself to surfaces of variousfcontours morder-to swat, imprison or lrillthe fly `or insect toward which said member is projected.

VMy invention further aims to provide a fly swatting device calculated not to injure the surface against' which itimpinges and the swatting member of thedevice'is adapted to bel forcibly projected, when released, with vsuch impetus as Vto preclude the escape of any insect at which the swatting member is aimed, To forcibly actuate the swatting member of the device a spring is employed and embodied in the frame or body of a lire arm, particularly a pistol, having a. trigger mechanism which controls .the action of the spring. I i

My invent-ion further aims to provide a device of the above type that is simple in construction, durable and highly efficient for killing or entrapping insects, and this device will be hereinafter specifically' described and then claimed.

Reference will now be had to the drawings wherein there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, but itis to be understood that the-bodyrof the device Ais not necessarily confined to the outline of a pistol, as it may represent any other device, and the structuralelementsare susceptible to such, changes as fall-within the scope of the appended claim. Y 'ln the drawings,

3 1s an end View lof the swatting member of the device.

The reference numeral 1 denotes a pistol barrel whichhas the inner end thereof pro` vided with a trigger chamber 2 and a suit` able handle 3, said barrel having the front end thereof open, the rear end thereof closed, and the upper surface thereof unobstructed so that the operator of the device may sight along the barrel and accurately aim at an insect. A

Slidable in the barrel 1 is a tubular projecting member 4 provided with a stop pin extending into Yalongitaidinal'slot G in the barrel 1 to limit the rreciprocable move ment of the projecting member withinthe barrel. rThe projecting member also has an opening Z mounted in the chamber 2, as at 9, said trigger having a finger piece- 1-0 extending out of the chamber in proximity to theA Aopening 7 of the projecting member and maintain the trigger normally cocked.

The outer end of the projecting member 4 has an annular interior bead or depressed portion 12 adapted to form a shoulder and engaging this shoulder is the outer convolution of a coiled expansion spring 13 disposed longitudinally of the tubular projecting member and engaging the inner end of the barrel 1. The expansive force of this spring is sufficient to forcibly projectthe member l outwardly from the barrel 1, until the stop pin :f3 limits its outward move ment. Suitably mounted in or connected to the outer end of the projectingrmember ft is a yieldable universal connecting member 14, preferably in the form of a block or piece of rubber and connected to the Outer end of this member is a swatting member, preferably in the form of a circular flexible woven wire screen 15 having its marginal edges bound by a casing or strip 16 that maybe advantageously made of leather,

2 is a` plan of the saine, and 1' i to receive a trigger 8 pivotallyH rubber or yieldable material which lwill prevent the edges ofY the member from marring the surface With'ivhich said member contacts. The member 15 possesses a degree "of flexibility which will permitot` it conforming to the contours ol' various sui'raccs and the central portion oil" said member may be slotted or -otherwise connected to a cap dividing it into two communicating sections 17 mounted on the end olf the member 14. The member 15 may be leather, rubber or any material.

As `Will be understood, depressed portion Vlpeimaneiitlyspaces the forward endl ot' 'spring 13 from member 14, the spacing remaining substantially constant in eacho Vthe various positions of the swatting memeach adapted to receive elements operative inthe swatting operation.

The sivatting member has been shown as comparatively flat, but it is obvious that it may be madecoiic'ave'or of such form as to imprison or entrap an insect at which it is Besides the mem projected by the pistol. ber 14 constituting a universal connection that permits ot the svvatting member assumi* ing an angular relation relative to the axis Aoit/the barrel 1, said member permits the swa'tting member to yield and thus c0- operates with the yieldable binding 16 of said member in preventing the member from, injuring a surface with which it contacts. y

The pistol portion of the device may be made of light and durable metal finished to 'by the casing barrel and movable bodily in the direction ofthe barrelai'iis', said 'barrel and unit having complemental means for limiting the length .of unit movement, a trigger element co-operating with the unitvr to temporarily retain it at'the inner limit position, and an expansion spring operative to shift the unit toward its outer limiting position upon trigger actuation, said unit comprising al tubular member having a sliding bearing in the'casing barrel and halving'an open rear end, said member having a depressed portionrpositioned intermediate the membcrends and at a point permanently exposed saiddepressed portion dividing the vinterior or' the member into front and rear communicating sections with the rear sectionladapted `to contain the pansion spring, a resilient cushion extend, ing vinto the front section, the tvall oi said depressed portion forming an abutment to maintain the spring and cushion in Vperma nently spaced relation, the spacing being substantially equal in each ot' the positions of the unit, and a swatting element carried by the cushion.

1n Witness'vvhereof l affix my signature inthe presencefof two Witnesses. Y GEORGEVW. BLAKE.

Witnesses :y Y

KARL H; BUTLER, A i

ANNA M. Dome 

